Selective demarketing: When customers destroy value.

Selective demarketing is a strategic option for firms to manage customers who are or are likely to be a poor fit with its offering. Research has investigated related areas such as customer profitability and relationship dissolution but, as yet, studies have not offered a robust conceptualisation of selective demarketing. Based on research into value co-destruction, this study argues that these customers effectively destroy value by misusing or misunderstanding how to integrate their operant resources with those of the firm. As firms exist within a wider service system, this failure to integrate resonates throughout the system. To demarket selectively, firms use higher order operant resources to disengage and discourage these customers. This study offers a novel conceptualisation of selective demarketing and extends research on value destruction through adopting a firm and systems perspective

Proton induced reaction cross section measurements on Se isotopes for the astrophysical p process

As a continuation of a systematic study of reactions relevant to the astrophysical p process, the cross sections of the 74,76Se(p,gamma)75,77Br and 82Se(p,n)82Br reactions have been measured at energies from 1.3 to 3.6 MeV using an activation technique. The results are compared to the predictions of Hauser-Feshbach statistical model calculations using the NON-SMOKER and MOST codes. The sensitivity of the calculations to variations in the optical proton potential and the nuclear level density was studied. Good agreement between theoretical and experimental reaction rates was found for the reactions 74Se(p,gamma)75Br and 82Se(p,n)82Br.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures (in 12 eps files), accepted for publication in Phys. Rev C, RevTeX styl

Photodissociation of p-process nuclei studied by bremsstrahlung induced activation

A research program has been started to study experimentally the near-threshold photodissociation of nuclides in the chain of cosmic heavy element production with bremsstrahlung from the ELBE accelerator. An important prerequisite for such studies is good knowledge of the bremsstrahlung distribution which was determined by measuring the photodissociation of the deuteron and by comparison with model calculations. First data were obtained for the astrophysically important target nucleus 92-Mo by observing the radioactive decay of the nuclides produced by bremsstrahlung irradiation at end-point energies between 11.8 MeV and 14.0 MeV. The results are compared to recent statistical model calculations.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures, Proceedings Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics II, May 16-20, 2005, Debrecen, Hungary. The original publication is available at www.eurphysj.or

Cosmic ray neon, Wolf-Rayet stars, and the superbubble origin of galactic cosmic rays

The abundances of neon isotopes in the galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) are reported using data from the Cosmic Ray Isotope Spectrometer (CRIS) aboard the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE). We compare our ACE-CRIS data for neon and refractory isotope ratios, and data from other experiments, with recent results from two-component Wolf-Rayet (WR) models. The three largest deviations of GCR isotope ratios from solar-system ratios predicted by these models are indeed present in the GCRs. Since WR stars are evolutionary products of OB stars, and most OB stars exist in OB associations that form superbubbles, the good agreement of these data with WR models suggests that superbubbles are the likely source of at least a substantial fraction of GCRs.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figures Accepted for publication by Ap

P-Process Nucleosynthesis inside Supernova-Driven Supercritical Accretion Disks

We investigate p-process nucleosynthesis in a supercritical accretion disk around a compact object of 1.4 M_solar, using the self-similar solution of an optically thick advection dominated flow. Supercritical accretion is expected to occur in a supernova with fallback material accreting onto a new-born compact object. It is found that appreciable amounts of p-nuclei are synthesized via the p-process in supernova-driven supercritical accretion disks (SSADs) when the accretion rate m_dot = M_dot c^2/(16 L_Edd) >10^5, where L_Edd is the Eddington luminosity. Abundance profiles of p-nuclei ejected from SSADs have similar feature to those of the oxygen/neon layers in Type II supernovae when the abundance of the fallback gas far from the compact object is that of the oxygen/neon layers in the progenitor. The overall abundance profile is in agreement with that of the solar system. Some p-nuclei, such as Mo, Ru, Sn, and La, are underproduced in the SSADs as in Type II supernovae. If the fallback gas is mixed with a small fraction of proton through Rayleigh-Taylor instability during the explosion, significant amounts of Mo92 are produced inside the SSADs. Ru96 and La138 are also produced when the fallback gas contains abundant proton though the overall abundance profile of p-nuclei is rather different from that of the solar system. The p-process nucleosynthesis in SSADs contributes to chemical evolution of p-nuclei, in particular Mo92, if several percents of fallback matter are ejected via jets and/or winds.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures included, 3 tables, LaTeX emulateapj5.sty, accepted for publication by the Astronomical Journal (March, 2003

How Can Consumer Research Contribute to Increased Understanding of Tourist Experiences? A Conceptual Review

Author's accepted version (postprint).This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism on 24/07/2015, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/15022250.2015.1065591

Pulsations of massive ZZ Ceti stars with carbon/oxygen and oxygen/neon cores

We explore the adiabatic pulsational properties of massive white dwarf stars with hydrogen-rich envelopes and oxygen/neon and carbon/oxygen cores. To this end, we compute the cooling of massive white dwarf models for both core compositions taking into account the evolutionary history of the progenitor stars and the chemical evolution caused by time-dependent element diffusion. In particular, for the oxygen/neon models, we adopt the chemical profile resulting from repeated carbon-burning shell flashes expected in very massive white dwarf progenitors. For carbon/oxygen white dwarfs we consider the chemical profiles resulting from phase separation upon crystallization. For both compositions we also take into account the effects of crystallization on the oscillation eigenmodes. We find that the pulsational properties of oxygen/neon white dwarfs are notably different from those made of carbon/oxygen, thus making asteroseismological techniques a promising way to distinguish between both types of stars and, hence, to obtain valuable information about their progenitors.Comment: 11 pages, including 11 postscript figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

The Origins of Two Classes of Carbon-Enhanced, Metal-Poor Stars

We have compiled composition, luminosity, and binarity information for carbon-enhanced, metal-poor (CEMP) stars reported by recent studies. We divided the CEMP star sample into two classes, having high and low abundances, respectively, of the s-process elements, and consider the abundances of several isotopes, in particular 12C, 13C, and 14N, as well as the likely evolutionary stages of each star. Despite the fact that objects in both groups were selected from the same surveys (primarily the HK survey), without a-priori knowledge of their s-process element abundances, we identify the following remarkable difference between the two classes: s-element-rich CEMP (CEMP-s) stars occupy a wide range of evolutionary states, but do not have a strongly evolved 13C/14N ratio, whereas s-element-normal CEMP stars (CEMP-no) are found only high up the first-ascent giant branch, and possess 13C/14N ratios approaching the CN-cycle equilibrium value. Based on these observational facts, we discuss scenarios of formation of CEMP stars.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, ApJ, in pres

Moving beyond Goffman: the performativity of anonymity on SNS

Purpose: This paper explores consumer behaviour on the popular anonymous social networking site (SNS) Yik Yak. It examines the reasons behind the turn to anonymous social networking and also considers the ways in which anonymity impacts consumers' self-performances on SNS. Design/methodology/approach: The study used a netnographic approach to explore Yik Yak across eight universities in Ireland and the UK. Data are based on observation and participation on the app. Screenshots on smart phones were the central method used to collect data. Data also included twelve in-depth interviews. Findings: Young consumers are becoming fatigued by the negative effects of self-presentation on many SNS. By enabling consumers to engage in what they consider to be more authentic modes of being and interaction, Yik Yak provides respite from these pressures. Through the structures of its design, Yik Yak enables consumers to realise self-authentication in anonymised self-performances that engender a sense of virtue and social connection. Originality/value: By invoking a performative lens, this paper extends a novel theoretical approach to understandings of identity formation within consumer research. Highlighting anonymity as a dynamic process of socio- material enactments, the study reveals how consumers' self-performances are brought into effect through the citation of various discursive arrangements, which promulgate distinct understandings of authenticity. Practical implications: This research highlights the potential value of anonymous SNS in fostering supportive dialogue, concerning mental health amongst post-millennials

Accuracy of ARGOS Locations of Pinnipeds at-Sea Estimated Using Fastloc GPS

Background: ARGOS satellite telemetry is one of the most widely used methods to track the movements of free-ranging marine and terrestrial animals and is fundamental to studies of foraging ecology, migratory behavior and habitat-use. ARGOS location estimates do not include complete error estimations, and for many marine organisms, the most commonly acquired locations (Location Class 0, A, B, or Z) are provided with no declared error estimate.Methodology/Principal Findings: We compared the accuracy of ARGOS locations to those obtained using Fastloc GPS from the same electronic tags on five species of pinnipeds: 9 California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), 4 Galapagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki), 6 Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus), 3 Australian fur seals (A. p. doriferus) and 5 northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris). These species encompass a range of marine habitats (highly pelagic vs coastal), diving behaviors (mean dive durations 2&ndash;21 min) and range of latitudes (equator to temperate). A total of 7,318 ARGOS positions and 27,046 GPS positions were collected. Of these, 1,105 ARGOS positions were obtained within five minutes of a GPS position and were used for comparison. The 68th percentile ARGOS location errors as measured in this study were LC-30.49 km, LC-2 1.01 km, LC-1 1.20 km, LC-0 4.18 km, LC-A 6.19 km, LC-B 10.28 km. Conclusions/Significance: The ARGOS errors measured here are greater than those provided by ARGOS, but within the range of other studies. The error was non-normally distributed with each LC highly right-skewed. Locations of species that make short duration dives and spend extended periods on the surface (sea lions and fur seals) had less error than species like elephant seals that spend more time underwater and have shorter surface intervals. Supplemental data (S1) are provided allowing the creation of density distributions that can be used in a variety of filtering algorithms to improve the quality of ARGOS tracking data.<br /